the industry's back! we're about promoting the private sector. they're about protecting the privileged sector. >> in the republican race, every delegate counts. mitt romney spends big money in illinois, while rick santorum makes a play for puerto rico. and the gift that keeps on giving. no shortage of campaign laughs on late-night. ♪ it's raining mitt what an image. good day. i'm chris cillizza, live in washington, in today for andrea mitchell. in our "daily fix," politicians and celebrities mingled at the white house state dinner last night, where the obamas hosted the british prime minister and his wife. msnbc contributor and my colleague at "the washington post," jonathan capehart, he's an editorial writer at "the post," he was there. jonathan, your style, i can imagine while you made the

invite list and not me, pocket squares and what not. tell me, first of all, this is not an event that most people get to go to. set the scene. what's it like to be at a state dinner, in particular, last night's? >> well, excuse me, being invited is one of those, one of those thrills, when you get that ivory-colored envelope that just has a simple return address, "the white house." but getting there, going through security, being announced to your own colleagues, but being announced to the press, and then actually being able to be at an event that is so grand, so, sort of, symbolic of your country, and then having it be accessible, being able to -- i'm seeing the video for the first time. being able to walk up to harvey winestein or john legend or george clooney or any of the other invited guests and just say, hi, my name is -- and have a conversation with them. that's what's so special about last night's state dinner. and that's what's so special

about a state dinner in general. >> of course, george clooney telling his friends today, that you could just walk up to the likes of jonathan capehart and say hello. but that's a whole other deal. but on a serious note, nbc's first read, the political unit, did a breakdown here. 47 of the guests last night, about 13% of the people invited were major bundlers for the obama campaign. we know that information, to the obama campaign's credit, because they, unlike past presidential campaigns, have revealed who their bundlers are. but is this new in a white house that so many people who help raised so much money get so much access to a president? >> oh, no. absolutely not. this is not something that's unique to the obama administration. this is something that goes on in every administration. you know, people support the president. people support a president and an administration. they raise money for that administration. and this is one of the ways, as you said, a perk, that the administration can say thank you to supporters and to, particularly, these fund-raisers

and bundlers for all the work that they've done in the past and all the work that they're hoping those folks will continue to do in the future. so this is nothing new. in terms of fund-raisers being invited. but as you said, and it needs to be stressed, we know this because the obama campaign is putting it out there, willingly. here are the people who are raising money for us. and last i checked, that's not what's happening on the republican side. >> you know, jonathan, i want to make one or other quit point and move on to joe biden. it's worth noting, the last medal of honor recipient also in attendance. there are people with money in attendance, yes, there are celebrities, but at least also one military hero. i want to move on. joe biden was in toledo. this is the first time the vice president has been out on the campaign trail in 2012. he talked very directly about the republican field. let's play a little bit of it and we'll come back and talk about it. >> mitt romney, rick santorum, and newt gingrich, these guys

have a fundamentally different economic philosophy than we do. they started the mantra that said, we would make auto company, quote, wards of the state, was their phrase. governor romney was more direct. let detroit go bankrupt. [ audience boos ] newt gingrich said, quote, a mistake. but the guy i work with every day, the president, he didn't flinch. >> now, jonathan, what's interesting about this is president obama has done a number of campaign events around the country. he never mentions, by name, the republican field. are you surprised that biden did it? and what's the strategy behind it? >> well, i'm not surprised that biden did it in that that's what the vice president on the campaign trail is supposed to do. remember four years ago when it was john mccain and sarah palin, it was sarah palin who delivered a lot of the red meat messages two rallies and to the base. so in that regard, that's not

surprising. but what is interesting here is that we don't know who the republican nominee is going to be yet. usually, this happens after the conventions and you can zero in on one person, and what you're finding here, or what i'm finding here is that the obama/biden 2012 ticket, they're not waiting for the general election to get here. they're going after the three guys, by name, right now, because they're not leaving anything to chance. >> vice president, as enforcer, politically, at least. jonathan capehart, thanks. >> thanks, chris. the fight between rick santorum and mitt romney is getting nasty, with rick santorum calling romney desperate and the romney campaign attacking the former massachusetts governor. >> we're never going to beat barack obama by ever putting up barack obama lite. and quite frankly, i don't think i'm going to listen to the value judgment of a guy who strapped his own dog on to the roof of his own car and went hurling down the highway. >> john is a senior strategist

for the santorum campaign and the guy who just appeared in that clip. how nice. >> thank you for sharing that. >> john, let's talk about it. it looks, certainly, like a -- newt gingrich is still in the race. we'll talk more about that. but it looks like a one-on-one race. is this mentioning of the dog on the roof, this is from 1983 incident, i assume you've been around politics a long time. i assume this wasn't unintentional. is this rightly understood of a ramping up? is this what santorum over romney over the next few months is going to look like? >> i think to be honest with you, it was governor romney who really ramped up when he said rick santorum is desperate and it ends tonight. unfortunately, they must have been reading the exit polls that everybody else was when they thought he was going to win mississippi and alabama, and it turns out that rick santorum won mississippi and alabama, and i'm sure romney regrets those remarks. but, you know, i think that he has ramped it up. he attacked rick santorum on economics yesterday and so forth. so, clearly, there is a frustration with governor romney right now. this isn't the campaign that they had planned out. this isn't going how it was supposed to go.

i think there's some frustration. i think he's lashing out. and, frankly, in some ways, i think it's starting to look un-presidential. >> not surprising, some of the romney surrogates responded to your mentioning the dog on the roof carrier. jeb bradley, former congressman from new hampshire, had this to say. "to focus on governor romney's dog, seamus, is shameful." in a time of still-sputtering economic recovery, energy -- i don't want to say crisis, but certainly the future of american energy up for grabs, the american debt that we have, is talking about something that happened almost 30 years ago fair game? >> well, two things. let me be clear. i'm more than happy to criticize governor romney on health care, which is very important, and his romney care, that became obama care. i'm very happy to criticize on him his economic record, where massachusetts had the third lowest job increases while he was governor, compared to the rest of the country. you can go down the line. his support of the bailouts and

so forth. >> but why the dog, then? >> well, again, it was in response to a question where he described rick santorum as desperate and said that his campaign was going to end right then. and i simply said, look, here's a guy who i'm not listening to his judgment, particularly his political judgment, about when anybody's campaign is going to end. you know, look, i'll be honest with you. the question i sit there like every other american and say, what the heck was he thinking, putting the dog on the top of the roof? with that said, that is not going to become the center, core issue of this campaign, nor should it. i think there are huge differences between rick santorum and mitt romney on all these other issues, and i think those should be the focus. >> you mentioned candidates getting in or out of the race. obviously a huge focus in the last 48 hours on whether newt gingrich should drop out or not. i want to play what he had to say about whether he should drop out and we'll come back and talk about it. >> when he was winning and i wasn't, i wanted him out.

>> his basic point being, after newt gingrich won south carolina, there was talk he should drop out, rick santorum should drop out. he's going to keep the same line and stay in. look, let's just be blunt. should newt gingrich get out of the race in order to unify conservatives? >> again, that's a newt gingrich decision. however, what i think you can do is look at this factually about whether he's in or not in. one thing we do know is that when he is in the race, there is some fracturing of the conservative vote. rick santorum gets a much higher percentage of it, but it still takes some away from rick santorum. when this is going to become critical is when you get into areas like wisconsin, where there's some winner take all, or texas where it will be winner take all by congressional districts. you can have people walk in there and two-thirds of them say, i want a conservative candidate, and the moderate, mitt romney, wins the -- >> so given that, quickly, john, given that, why shouldn't rick santorum say, look, this is

about about me, it's about the conservative clause. newt gingrich needs to get out. >> believe me, newt gingrich is a smart guy. newt gingrich doesn't have to be anybody tell him that that's the case. american spectator had a story today. you look at the math, newt gingrich in, helps mitt romney. it's that simple. and so it is not appropriate for us to say to newt gingrich to get out. however, i think the reality that everybody has to understand is, unless we unify behind a single candidate, and when i say everybody, conservative and tea party supporters, it may very well let the minority of our party, the moderates, pick the nominee, mitt romney. and i think that's a disaster. the second thing, i have heard in the last day that gingrich says, this is to help rick santorum. it's not helping rick santorum. >> john braybender, thank you for your time. up next, the mission in afghanistan. plus, the war american's veterans can't leave behind,

battling stereotypes of ptsd. this is "andrea mitchell reports," it's only on msnbc. ma. now washington, they're looking at shutting down post offices coast to coast. closing plants is not the answer. they want to cut 100,000 jobs. it's gonna cost us more, and the service is gonna be less. we could lose clientele because of increased mailing times. the ripple effect is going to be devastating. congress created the problem. and if our legislators get on the ball, they can make the right decisions. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches.

the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. i want to fall in love again. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday.

the u.s. relationship with afghanistan has been dealt twin blows today. first with afghan president hamid karzai calling for foreign troops to leave rural villages, and also today, the taliban in afghanistan have suspended preliminary peace talks with the united states. this, of course, comes just days after a u.s. soldier allegedly massacred afghan civilians. here with secretary leon panetta earlier today. >> pledge to him that we are proceeding with a full investigation here, and that we will bring the individual involved to justice.

and he accepted that and hope that it could be a transparent process, so that the afghanistan people would see that the united states is, indeed, going to not only prosecute this individual, but ensure that he's held accountable. >> nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, is in kabul. richard, i know you've been to these villages. you've been covering this war from the start. can you give some context on how big a development this is? >> reporter: what we're seeing right now is the u.s. exit strategy from afghanistan changing, despite claims from the white house, from defense fishes that the strategy is staying the course. it is changing, it changed today. let's take it step by step. first, the taliban statement that it is suspending, not ending negotiations with the united states. i don't think that's a very big deal, because the negotiations weren't achieving a lot of

progress anyway, and they're suspended, so theoretically could be resumed. the taliban still wants to exchange some prisoners held at gau guantanamo bay, so i have a feeling that process will get started once more. the much more significant issue is this statement by president karzai, a written statement, that u.s. troops should pull out of villages and withdraw to big bases by 2013. he didn't say exactly when, but he wants them out of bases, presumably, as soon as possible, oh, on their bases as soon as possible, and for all authority to be transferred over to the afghan government in the same year, in 2013. in theory, this benefits the united states. it's not a blow to u.s. policy. if u.s. forces are on their bases, that means afghan forces are in control of the country. it means fewer u.s. forces are patrolling, fewer u.s. forces are dying. the question is, is it possible and will it work? but i interrupted you. >> not at all. i interrupted you.

a question, how much, if at all, do we know this decision by karzai, does it have anything to do with the shooting in kandahar, or is that too much to connect the dots at this point? >> reporter: well, i think it is a dot. and you have to look at the shooting in the village, not far from kandahar, is in helmand province, when that staff sergeant allegedly went on a shooting spree. but that wasn't the only incident. you had the marines urinating on the bodies, you had the koran burnings, you had violent attacks across the country on the rise in some places. you have the taliban feeling emboldened. and there was a strategy in place, and it's important to understand what that strategy is, that didn't seem to be in line with reality. and the strategy, as it has been laid out, just a couple of days ago by president obama, was for a two-year gradual drawdown for the situation to remain pretty

much as it is for the next two years, was for 23,000 of the 90,000 troops to leave by the end of this summer, and the rest of them to leave at the end of 2014, and that there would be this slow glide out of afghanistan. that glide wasn't happening, and instead, we're seeing karzai saying, earlier, we want american troops back on their bases. if the afghans can secure the country with americans back on their bases, ultimately, it serves everyone's interests, but it may not be possible. >> richard engel, thank you for your expertise in kabul. about 20% of the 2.4 million u.s. troops who served in the afghanistan and iraq wars may meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. that's coming into focus today as the military investigates what led a u.s. soldier to massacre afghan civilians just days ago. there's also rampant speculation about what caused the soldier to snap. >> he's a 38-year-old army staff

sergeant who served three combat tours in iraq. >> a senior u.s. defense official tells nbc news the soldier suffered a traumatic brain injury in a vehicle rollover. >> you mentioned a possible emotional or mental issue. we know there's been a report that he was involved -- a report that he was involved in a vehicle turnover, a traumatic brain injury as a result of that. >> paul rykoff is the founder of iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. he joins us now. paul, i want to put something up on the screen here. this was the "new york daily news" front cover this week. "sergeant psycho." sergeant had suffered traumatic brain injury. how much do you worry about this just being turned into a stereotype that hurts all veterans coming back from iraq and afghanistan? >> i worry about it a great deal. and the entire veterans and military community worries about it a great deal. i think what we want people to understand is this event in afghanistan is tragic and it's absolutely terrible, it's bad

for everybody involved, but it's not representative of the larger population of troops and veterans who have served honorably in iraq and afghanistan, almost 2.3 million of them. so we've got to resist the urge to stereotype, to rush to judgment, to oversimplify this situation. the "daily news" should really be ashamed of themselves. that's bad journalism. that's bad media responsibility, to put out "sergeant psycho," which folds into the pre-existing stereotypes that people have is just not doing anyone any good. most folks with posttraumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury are doing well, are not violent. if you think about someone like bob woodruff who has been very high profile, who has a brain injury. there's not a link between ptsd and this kind of outrageous, really crazy behavior. >> paul, let's talk about the shooter for a minute here. nbc military analyst colonel jack jacobs, he's been very outspoken. that the people who served with him saw signs of erratic behavior, that something wasn't

right. the question i have for you is, is this a failure of the military chain of command in some meaningful way? and can we hope to solve a problem like this? >> it may be. and i think that's why we need the investigation to take its course. and the military's pretty good at investigating situations like this. and i think they will be transparent with the meamerican people and the people of afghanistan how this went down. if people saw signs, they should have said something. separate in this situation, there's not enough mental health support. there's not enough traumatic brain injury support. not enough family support. that's true when they're overseas and especially true when they come home. you've got national guardsmen who will come home for a year and rotate back into theater, and they definitely need more help. if there's thing we can get from the american people who may be afraid or shocked by this, use that to get those troops more support. but this is an isolated incident, and this is not the average soldier or veteran that you know that's in your classroom, in your place of work, and in your neighborhood. >> but, paul, how do we -- you mentioned this. it's not just when you're in

iraq and afghanistan, it's when you come home oftentimes when it's as if not more difficult. how do you -- let's talk about your organization. how do you go about trying to get these people the help that they need? and i'll add to that, mental illness, maybe not traumatic brain injury, ptsd, we are still a country that's uncomfortable, in some ways, talking about mental illness. how do you get both people afflicted by it to talk about it and speak about it and how do you get them real help that matters? >> you take it head on and explain to people what ptsd is and explain to many folks, this is the natural reaction your body will have to something like this. it's like a bullet hole, if you got shot in the arm, you'd get it treated, do rehab, get back on your feet. you've got to treat pstd and traumatic bain injury the other way. we've got a program that connects veterans with other veterans who have been down this road, just gives them a place to have connection and hope. that's what veterans need more than anything else, to be around people who know where they're coming from. it can be a very isolating

situation, to come home from combat, not have anyone around who knows where you're coming from. very aggressively, we've been trying to connect veterans with other veterans and resources that need to be increased. if americans want to help, help support those critical organizations that are providing mental health support, critical support in your communities and nationwide. the supply there is definitely not keeping up with the demand. >> paul, thanks for what you to. >> thank you, chris. appreciate the time. up next, the politico brio f briefing. this is "andrea mitchell reports." who's the "your business" entrepreneur of the week? ana barber opened scribble press in los angeles in 2008. it's a place where kids can turn their art and writing into books. the company's success prompted her to open another location in new york city, managing from 3,000 miles away has been a challenge, but she's helped with a group of mom who was invested in the stores. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc.

look, every day we're using more and more energy. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ i take the stuff everywhere. exactly. everyone's more energized, more alert. i've lost their respect. oh who's laughing now!? gazelle!! [ male announcer ] personal, portable mio energy. [ gazelle laughs ]

but does bringing a floor back to life really make us heroes? [ chuckles ] yes. yes, it does. ♪ call 1-800-steemer ♪ you make me happy when skies are gray ♪ [ female announcer ] you know exactly what it takes to make them feel better. ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] that's why you choose children's tylenol. the same brand your mom trusted for you when you were young. ♪ how much i love you [ humming ] [ female announcer ] children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. [ humming ]

and used by moms decade after decade. weight loss programs can be expensive. so to save some money, i just got the popular girls from the local middle school to follow me around. ew. seriously? so gross. ew. seriously? that is so gross. ew. seriously? dude that is so totally gross. so gross...i know. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. if republicans want to win in key battleground states like florida, colorado, and nevada, they'll need to bring hispanic voters into the fold. but the 2012 primary campaign has alienated many in the hispanic community with republican candidates slamming everything from comprehensive immigration reform to decrying the dream act. joining me now to talk about it is politico's david cantonese.

david, thank you for joining me. i want to talk about, yes, i know this is a problem for whoever the republican nominee is in 2012, but in some ways, it's a bigger problem for the republican party as we move forward to 2014, 2016, 2020. i don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but in 2008, we saw republican john mccain lose the hispanic vote, basically 65/35. if that continues, the republican party is no longer a majority party in this country. am i correctly reading the demographics on that? >> absolutely. remember, in 2004, the last successful republican nominee for president, george with w. bush, carried about 42% of the hispanic vote. now a new fox latino poll is out showing mitt romney at just 14%. he cannot win a nationwide election just grabbing 14%. and it's republicans who are coming forward with this concern. you know, republicans that are in the romney camp, and also people on capitol hill, saying, this is going to hurt our

candidates down ballot if we don't get this right. >> one stat i was struck by, i'm a nerd, so i was looking through the 2010 census numbers, but of all of the growth in the united states, half of it came from the hispanic community, which i think frames the problem. as you've mentioned, there are some voices saying, wait a minute, fellas, we've got to be careful here. jeb bush, the florida governor of florida, before the florida primary, asked that the candidates tone down their rhetoric. and interestingly enough, newt gingrich had this to say recently about where the party is on immigration. let's play it and we'll come back and talk about it. >> all i want to do is allow the grandmother to be here illegally, with some rights to have residency, but not citizenship, so that he or she can finish their life with dignity, within the law. >> our problem is not 11 million grandmothers. our problem is -- all right? >> you know, gingrich has also recently said that where the party is on immigration is a huge problem, his words, not

mine. how do they solve it, dave? you know, 2012 doesn't certainly look like the time, given where romney and santorum have staked out illegal immigration. is this a 2016 issue? >> first, there's going to be a pivotal to the general election at some point when we get through this primary race. the romney campaign hoping sooner rather than later. the romney campaign also says this. that immigration is not the top concern of hispanics. that his papanics are just like regular voter who is care about the economy, rising health care costs, education. they say it's not even in the top five. that's their response. but the undercurrent is there, as you said, the demographics are changing, and they know they have to get this right. >> politico's dave cantonese, thank you for joining me. >> sure. thank you. coming up, pennsylvania's republican governor stirs up trouble with his comments about a proposed bill on abortion. former democratic pennsylvania governor ed rendell joins us next. like vitamin d. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste.

[ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. the better egg. but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. i was worried it would be hard to install. but it's really easy. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. yeah. you're not... filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. plug into the savings you deserve with snapshot from progressive.

then don't get nickle and dimed by high cost investments and annoying account fees. at e-trade, our free easy-to-use online tools and experienced retirement specialists can help you build a personalized plan. and with our no annual fee iras and a wide range of low cost investments, you can execute the plan you want at a low cost. so meet with us, or go to etrade.com for a great retirement plan with low cost investments. ♪ it seems like we just got finished talking about

virginia's ultrasound bill, but now lawmakers are considering a similar bill in pennsylvania. the woman's right to know act would require any woman with seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound and to listen to the fetal heartbeat. pennsylvania governor tom corbett said tuesday that he supports the bill. >> i wouldn't change it. as long as it's not obtrusive, but we're still waiting to see. >> obtrusive? i mean, making them watch -- does that go too far in your mind? >> i don't know how you make anybody watch, okay? because you just have to close your eyes. but as long as it's on the exterior, not interior. >> former pennsylvania governor, ed rendell, is an msnbc political analyst. you just have to close your eyes, says the man who followed you into office, about this procedure, governor rendell. what are republicans thinking as it relates to women? it seems as though this is the latest in a string of things,

whether purposefully or not, that are alienating the very people they need in a general election, independent women. >> and i think it's unfortunate. because tom corbett is a decent, honorable man, and he's intelligent, and he governed as attorney general in a fairly fair, nonpartisan way. but i think he's falling into the same trap that governor mcconnell did in -- mcdonald did in virginia. first, you saw that the governor was very careful to say nonintrusive, and by that he meant, no vaginal probes. but it is very intrusive to force someone to listen to something or to look at something and to say, you can close your eyes, well, gosh, you shouldn't be in a position where you have to do that, where you have to make that choice. it amazes me that conservatives, and governor corbett campaigned as a conservative, so, you know, in fairness to him, he's not doing much different than what he said he would do. but it amazes me that

conservatives who want governor out of everything, are willing to have government mandate procedures like this where a woman with has to hear and listen to a heartbeat and look at the sonogram. i think that in and of itself is emotionally intrusive. and they're dead wrong. and they're just catering to an extreme, and i think they're catering to that extreme at their political detriment. because this is not where the american voters are and it's surely not where american women are. >> and, you know, governor rendell, to your point, quinnipiac university, based in my home state of connecticut, cheap plug, put out a poll today to your point. they asked about support of this legislation. 42% support, 48 oppose. more striking, a clear gender gap. you've got men support, 39, oppose 51. women, 45/45. does that -- are you surprised by that? >> well, i'm not sure people who answer these polls understand these bills. i'm not sure they understand the

nuances. it depends a lot how the poll questions are asked. i don't think any woman, regardless of how they feel about abortion itself, would want a woman to be subjected to that. it's just -- why should the government be doing that? gosh, that's not the government's responsibility. that's not the government's responsibility. it is intrusive. it's not physically intrusive, governor corbett's correct, but it's emotionally intrusive in a big way. >> former democratic governor ed rendell, thank you for your time. republicans are having a field day with president obama's new 17-minute campaign video that they call the road we traveled. >> entire national security apparatus was in that room. and the president turns to every principal in the room, what do you recommend i do? and they say, it's a close call, mr. president. as he walked out of the room, it donned on me, he's all alone.

this is his decision. >> it's given rich fodder for the republican national committee, who made this movie poster mocking the campaign ad. joining me now is buzz feed's editor in chief, ben smith. thanks for joining me. i know buzz feed posted the poster. sean spicer, the communications director at the republican national committee, i know we both probably follow him on twitter, he had about 50 tweets this morning, trying to draw attention to this campaign movie. why do republicans think this is a real opportunity for them? >> well, this has always been, i think, kind of a weak spot of obama's and kind of a blind spot of his campaign's. there's sort of a level of self-regard. it's the same thing that had him in berlin speaking to a massive german audience in the summer of 2008. i think there's a sense among people, around some of the folks that surround him, that he kind of does walk on water, and if only the american people would appreciate that, and perhaps this hollywood documentary will make that case clearly, and i think that alienates some

people. >> and let's talk about the strategy from the obama side about this. we know that the 2012 election is in some ways likely to be a referendum on the first four years. this struck me, at least in watching the trailers, haven't seen the whole thing yet, as an attempt to reframe what the first four years were about. it wasn't about the health care and the economic stimulus bill, both which are not terribly popular among the american public, it was about confronting historically hard times and overcoming them. that's, i think -- is that the leading edge of kind of the strategy of what the last four years have been about, as we move forward? >> yeah, i think it's sort of creating this kind of coherent presidential narrative of barack obama that, you know, that something that the american people can feel, it's really a heroic narrative. and there's certainly a power to building that and a reason to rally your supporters and to persuade people in the middle there's a story line here. it's interesting that there's an idea that people will watch a 17-minute internet video if it's well enough presented. i think that's a new thing. i think they probably will.

they might not have a few years ago. >> my friend ben smith and because feed head honcho, thank you. >> thank you, chris. the economic struggles of the past five years have forced many americans to rethink their american dream. the "national journal" is telling the stories of the people trying to find solutions amid that uncertainty. here's our exclusive first look at the new "national journal" cover story, "gridlocked out." kristen roberts, an editor at "national journal," joins us now. kristen, thanks for being here. >> thank you. >> tell me about -- i know you're kicking off the series. let's talk more broadly, explain to people what the series' about. >> restoration calls is a year-long project in which we're trying to really take a look at the deep problems, the deep long-term problems that america faces. i mean, the starting point for this was really a recognition that americans by and large think things are not going well. things are not on the right track. our government and other institutions that we've relied on for decades are not getting

out of the way or helping when necessary. so we thought, let's look at that. but more importantly, let's look at the solutions to that. >> it's fascinating, because one of the things i've been struck by is this kind of anxiety that's existed in the electorate. since 2001, you know, the 2002 election, this anxiety, to your point, these big pillars that we always depending on, banks, journalism, the party structures, government, congress. the faith in all of those things is eroding so badly, give me one -- let's talk about, very quickly, gridlocked out. tell me how this fits into the series. it's obviously the first piece, so you obviously feel like it's a good representative sample. it's about immigration. tell me the solution to this anxiety that you found. >> well, let me first say, what we're not going to be doing is writing a bunch of long-winded essays from know-it-all supporters that prescribe to what we think. >> how dare you say reporters are know it all. >> what we think washington should be doing. what we're trying to do is offer windows. offer a view on the things that

people that actually are working. our cover story is a look at how congress cannot get its act together, even on issues that are completely supported. i mean, we hear republicans and democrats and the private sector saying the same things about immigration. all being on the same page, about the need for america to be bringing in, luring, keeping the most highly educated people in the world, the entrepreneurs, the people ready to create jobs. and this story looks at one piece of legislation that does that. a simple piece of legislation that is going nowhere. >> solutions are the hardest thing to find. i always say, even little things are hard to solve with the congress where it is. thank you for shining a light, kristin. >> thanks for having me. >> of course. location, location, location. which states top the rest when it comes to quality of life for american women? the answer, it surprised me, and it may surprise you. ♪ oh!

[ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen i'm michael bazinet, president of creative digital imaging of bangor, maine. we have customers all over the united states. we rely on the postal service for everything that we do. the eastern maine processing facility is vital to our operation and our success. if we lose this processing facility we could lose clientele because of increased mailing times.

we would have to consider layoffs as a result of that. closure of this plant will affect all of us. ♪ with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaids, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles

or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. i'm milissa rehberger.

coming up in 15 minutes on "news nation," we're watching developing news about ousted illinois governor, rod blagojevich. he's just finished eating his last meal at a colorado restaurant before heading to prison to start serving his 14-year sentence. we'll have the latest. plus, rick santorum doubles down on his controversial comments, saying if puerto rico wants to become a state, it needs to speak english. our "news nation" political panel joins me live. as many as a quarter of students in this country are victims of bullying, myself included. this sunday, the cartoon network will air "speak up," an original documentary series -- documentary, excuse me, that shares the stories of bullied kids, including atlanta student aaron cheese. >> i would kind of get fish lips, things like that a lot. and my glasses, too, i got those at an early age. i'm a pretty sensitive kid, so -- >> you smell! >> -- i would have to fight back the tears when i was getting

called names. >> bullying expert rosalyn wiseland is the author of "queen bean bees and wannabes," which was the basis for "mean girls" and the producer of this documentary. i'm so glad you could come on. this is an issue that is personal to me. when i was in junior high school, i was sort of relentlessly bullied by one person, and i remember the thing that i always felt, i never told my parents. i sort of -- i was an only child and sort of bore it privately, because i was embarrassed. it was an embarrassing thing for me. how do we -- and i know documentary -- i'm so thankful that there are documentaries like this, but how do we encourage kids to say, it's all right, you're not alone. i remember feeling that way. i'm the only person in the history of junior high school that's been picked on. how do you educate people? >> that is what this documentary does. is it talks about the messiness and the reluctance of children to come forward and why, and why

it's reasonable to be so scared and nervous. and about sometimes parents don't know what to say. so what we wanted to do with cartoon network, with the special, was to be able to talk about it, and that it was okay that it was messy, it was okay that kids didn't want to come forward, to talk about what these stories really are about. and cartoon network has the most incredible credibility with kids. when they pay attention to something, kids do too. and for them to say, this is important for us, and we're going to reach out to you and we're going to help you is extremely meaningful, so when it goes back to when you're asking, why don't kids come forward, when you have cartoon network and you have these kids coming forward, it makes all kids feel like, okay, this is something that i can talk about. and i don't have to feel ashamed, and i can get solutions and strategies about how to deal with it. >> rosalind, in addition to that, i know president obama has taped a special introduction to the movie. i know kathleen sebelius, secretary of health and human services, hosted a screening of it here in d.c. yesterday. do you feel like it's become more mainstream, that it's now

more okay to talking about it. look, i'm 36 years old, so i was in junior high school 22 years ago, not that long ago, but even i feel watching this and having a 3-year-old son, i'm cognizant of this. i feel like it's through the work of people like you, president obama, kathleen sebeli sebelius, it's become more accepted. if the president talks about, it's okay. has that helped? >> i've been working on these issues day in and day out for a long time, and to have people with the leadership of the president and the secretary of health and human services talk about these issues and you can tell that they care about these issues. this is not just this thing that they're doing to say something that, you know, that all kids, that families are going to the like. they care about these issues. and it has been extraordinary to me to listen to them speak about it, that they've put it in their schedule. they make sure to talk about it. i can't tell you, i think it's an important thing for all of us, to remember that we're all coming together as families and as communities to make it safer for all of our kids.

>> rosalind, thank you. i want to make sure people, if you have kids, the you've ever been bullied, if you have young kids, please, i want to make sure i get this right. "speak up" is the name of the documentary sunday at 5:30 on cartoon network with an encore airing at 8:00. please watch it. it's very personal to me. i really appreciate you making the time. >> thank you. women's issues have become a hot-button topic in this year's election. in the last hour, several democratic and republican women senators spoke out supporting a new bill to combat violence against women. >> many of us women have come to this floor so many times over the last few weeks to fight back against attempts to turn back the clock when it comes to women's health care, as the senator from california just talked about. i'm disappointed that these issues keep coming up. but i know i stand with millions of men and women across america who remain ready to defend the gains we have made over the last 50 years. >> joining me now is ivillage's kelly wallace with a report on

the best states for all right. every one wants to know what it is the let's talk about the give. the best state for women in the country. >> this will be near and dear to your heart. connecticut is the best state. we looked eed at a lot of cater. connecticut in the top five. >> a lot of east coast and one west coast. we have maryland and hawaii. how much was this about -- did you look at the legislation? we're talking about women's rights to choose. >> at the top, health and economy. what women really want, good health care, a good economic aly

mat for themselves and their family. we looked eed at the economy. we looked at female representation at the state level, until the congress, in the governor's office. we looked at access to contraception. how many laws are on the books. >> you're going to be rolling out the rest including all the through march 23rd. >> exactly. five state a day with the worst of the worst coming on march 23rd. what political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? we'll tell you next. our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories,

america's beverage companies are delivering. in your breakfast cereal, what is? now, in every box of general mills big g cereal, there's more whole grain than any other ingredient. that's why it's listed first. get more whole grain than any other ingredient... just look for the white check. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans.

that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

which political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? jonathan capehart is back with me. jonathan, what are we going to be watching? >> we talked about it at the top of the show about how basically, the general election has already

begun with vice president biden out there hammering away at gingrich, santorum and romney. neither one of those guys is even officially the republican nominee, the person they're going to face in the fall. i think we're going to be talking about how obama/biden 2012 for them the general election is now in. >> no question. joe biden is go. he's going to go to some rural areas. i think he's a big asset that will be used a lot for the obama campaign. thank you. the best dressed maen in washington. >> you're very kind. i'm chris cillizza. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." melissa is in for tamron hall. we're following several developments out of afghanistan. the taliban is breaking off peace talks.

richard eng le is joining us live. moments ago, rod blagojevich arrived a t a colorado prison will he will start serving his sentence. shazi: seven years ago, i had this idea. to make baby food the way moms would. happybaby strives to make the best organic baby food. in a business like ours, personal connections are so important. we use our american express open gold card to further those connections. last year we took dozens of trips using membership rewards points to meet with farmers that grow our sweet potatoes and merchants that sell our product. vo: get the card built for business spending. call 1-800-now-open to find out how the gold card can serve your business. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe?

let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers.

if your neighbor could bring his jaw back up, he'd say, "thank you for making every day halloween." inspired by all you attention grabbers comes gain hawaiian aloha and other scents that are, like you, anything but ordinary. gain fireworks scent booster, inspired by women who like control, which, last time i checked, was most women. sprinkle as much as you'd like into the wash to boost the scent. gain. anything but ordinary. to boost the scent. for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america.

they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. the "news nation" is following developing news from afghanistan today. hamid karzai wants to speed up the process of handing over military to the afghan security. he wants the transfer to take place in 2013 t instead of 2014. he said afghanistan is ready to take over all of the country's security responsibilitie and he wants u.s. troops pulled ut of villages now. it came as half began officials said they were outraged that the u.s. soldier accused of killing 16